The present invention relates generally to a suction cup assembly including a housing having a venturi removably connected to the housing in a quick connect attachment and a suction cup to lift and move an object.
Suction cups are commonly employed to lift and moves objects in an industrial application. Suction cups include a substantially conical body and are usually formed of a resilient material, such as plastic or rubber. When the body of the suction cup is placed against the object, a vacuum source expels air within a cavity formed by the conical body. As the air is expelled, the suction cup forms a tight seal on the object, allowing the object to be lifted and moved. The suction cup is usually mounted to a housing including a clamping stem. A robot arm of a tooling machine attached to the clamping stem moves the suction cup and the attached object.
A suction cup occasionally needs to be replaced due to breakage, wear, or because a suction cup of a different shape or size is needed. Therefore, it is desirable that the suction cup is able to be changed quickly and easily.
A venturi is commonly employed to provide the vacuum source that attaches the suction cup to the object. In one prior art suction cup assembly, the venturi is secured to the housing by a pair of bolts. Another prior art venturi is integrated in the housing. However, the venturi is internal, and it cannot be easily removed from the housing when cleaning is necessary. Additionally, in the prior art, the exhaust hole of the venturi is large, requiring a shuttle valve to block air expulsion from the exhaust hole.
Hence, there is a need in the art for a suction cup assembly including a venturi that is removably connected to a housing.